Bowling-pin setter.



W. T. STATES & H. F. LAPP.

BOWLING PIN SETTER.

APPLICATION FILED N0v,14.191s.

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Patented Feb. 27

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W 2 M 0 7W (1H0 mac W. T. STATES & H. F. L'APP.

BOWLING PIN SETTER. APPLICATION FILED Nov, 14. I916.

Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

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4 VIII/l/l/drd fiW M 1 M M 5 q Vitncaoeo UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' WILL 'r. srn'rns AND HERBERT F. LAPP, or CLEVELAND, onro.

BOWLING-PIN BETTER.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that we, WILL T.S'rA'rnsand HERBERT F. LAPP, citizens of the United States, residing at Cleveland,in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in'Bowling- Pin Setters, of which the following ,is a specification.

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The primary object'of the invention is the provision of a setter of this character wherein the same is arranged within a bowling alley and will automatically place the pins upon the alley in the same position each time the setter is operated, thereby eliminating the handsetting of the pins and also the possibility of irregularity in the positioning of the pins upon the alley.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a setter of this character wherein each pin is brought to upright position automatically and centered so that it will be spotted upon an'alley- -which 'is simple in construction, thoroughly reliable and ellicient in its operation, strong, durable and inexpensive in manufacture. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part hereinafter set forth.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and the scope of the apphcation of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawmgs:

Figure .1 is a top plan view of a pin setter'constructed in accordance with the im vention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation showing the mittmg the dropping of a bowling pm C alley in vertical section; V Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary verti- Speoiiicatio'n of Letters Patent.

Application med November 14, 1916. Serial No. 181,285.

The invention relates to bowlinglpin' setofF1g.1.

Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

cal longitudinal sectional view showing the setter in. normal raised position;

' Fig. 4 is a similar view in lowered'position' i Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. l;

Fig; 7 is a sectional View on the line 7-7 Fig. is a fragmentary vertical transverse sectlonal view;

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring to the-drawings in detail, A designates a portion of the bowling alley which is of the ordinary well known construction, and B desi ates generally the bowling pin setter WhlCh is: located atthe 4 closed end of the alley and the details and operation of which will be hereinafter fully described. The pin setter comprises av vertically movable main frame 10 which is'suspended over the'bed of the alley A in the usual well known manner 'for the raising and lowering thereof, while fixed at desirable points in the alley A and countersunk within the bed thereofare guide ferrules or plates 11, through which slide vertical guide stems 12 fixed to the. frame 10, the alley A beneath. the plates or ferrules 11 being formed with sockets 13 for the said stems or rods 12 for accommodating the same, and these stems or rods 12 serve to guide the main frame in its vertical movement with trueness. for the accurate setting of the bowling pins in a manner presently described.

Arranged on the frame- 10 at the upperface thereof are longitudinally disposed tracks 14 upon which-travel anti-frlction rollers 15 journaled in a pin rack 16 supported for horizontal movement upon said frame, and this rack 16 is of the nest type,

that is to say, it is formed with a series of pockets 17 corresponding to the number of bowling pins used in the playing ofthe game, and these pockets 1-7 are located in accordance with the proper spotting or setting of the'pins upon the alley, the frame 10 e ing formed with openings 18, each pertherethrough onto the alley A when the rack 16 has moved the series of pins to upafter the pins have been careright position within the pockets 17 in said lessly placed rack which manner presently described. Swingingly depending from the bottom of the frame 10 adjacent to and at circumferentially and regularly spaced points relative to the margin of the openings 18 therein are automatically adjustable pin guides 19 which are supported by springs 20 connecting them to the frame and are formed with beveled contacting ends 21 for engagement with the surface of the alley A when the frame 10 is lowered so as to bring the guide 19 into proper position automatically for the centering of the pin C when dropped through the openings 18 and thereby locating each pin exactly over the spot upon the alley and in upright position thereon. The guides 19 onthe upward movement of the frame 10 swing upon the springs 20 away from each other to the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, and on the lowering of the frame said guides 19 are automatically moved to downwardly convergent relation to eachother by the contact thereof with the surface of the alley A as is clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, and in this position set the pins upon the spots and in upright position on the alley.

Mounted in the frame 10 at suitable points are vertically disposed guide sleeves 22 in' which are slidably fitted operating plungers 23 carrying at their lower ends shoes 24 for contact with the surface of the alley A. Carried by the frame 10 are hangers or bearings 25 in which are pivoted rocking bell crank levers 26. To one end of each is pivoted a link 27 which is also pivoted to the shoe 24 and to the other end of said bell crank levers 26 is pivotally connected a link 28, the same being also pivoted to the rack 17 so that on the lowering of the frame 10 the shoes contact with the alley A and the bell crank lever 26 is rocked inits hanger or bearing 25 to act upon the link 28, causing the rack 17 to slide horizontally upon the frame 10, and in this movement when the pins C are placed therein in inclined positions with their lower ends resting in the openings in said frame-the rack will bring the pins automatically to upright position so that they, by their own weight, will drop through the openings 18 in the frame 10 and the guide 19 will automatically operate to center said pins G exactly'over the pin spots upon the alley and bring the same to true upright position for the setting of the said pins. ()n the raising of the frame 10 which is effected in the usual manner the rack 17 will move automatically and horizontally back to normal position, shown in 3 of the drawings, and when in noris .automatically moved in amal position will again be in position to receive the bowling pins C which will be antomatically set when the mechanism is again operated. When the frame is lifted the weight of the shoes or equivalent means will return the pin tray to its original or normal position.-

The invention also includes modifications of mechanism and equivalent means protected by the scope of the claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. Ina pin setting apparatus for a bowling alley, the combination of a vertically movable lower frame having pin discharging openings therein, a shifting frame slidable thereon in a horizontal plane and having corresponding openings, bell cranks pivoted in said vertically movable frame a corresponding number of shoes vertically movable in said lower frame, a link connecting each shoe with one of said bell cranks, and a link connecting each bell crank with said shifting frame, said shoes operating to rotate said bell crank to move said shifting frame horizontally over said lower frame, when said lower frame is lowered to engage said shoes with the floor of said alley.

2. In a pin setting apparatus for a bowling alley, the combination of a vertically movable lower frame having pin discharging openings therein, a shifting frame slidable thereon in a horizontal plane and having corresponding openings, bell cranks pivoted in said vertically movable frame a corresponding number of shoes vertically movable in said lower frame, a link connecting each bell crank with said shifting frame, said shoesoperatin to rotate said bell crank to move said shi ting frame horizontally over said lower frame when said lower frame is lowered tozengage said shoes with the floor of said alley, positioning means for said lower frame, and a separate positioning means for each pin, substantially as described.

I 3. In apin setting device, in combination, a vertically movable lower frame, a shifting frame, a horizontal track upon the lower frame upon which aid shifting frame is reciprocable in a-horifontal plane, shoes having stems vertically movable in saidl. lower frame, a bell crank pivoted in said lower frame for each shoe, links connecting said bell cranks and shoes and links connecting said bell cranks and shifting frame, whereby when said frames are lowered said shoes will engage the alley floor and operate said bell cranks to more said shifting frame, said shifting frame automatically returning to the starting position when said frames are raised.

4:. A bowllng alley pm sette r 3ompr1s1ng a vertically movable frame, means, for guiding the frame into vertical movement, a pin rack slidable upon the frame for uprighting bowling pins placed therein, and means for carried by the frame for bringing the pins to vertical and spotting positions.

- 6. A bowlingalley pin setter comprising a verticallymovable frame, means for guiding theframe into vertical movement, a pin rack slidable upon the frame for uprighting bowling pins placed therein, means for automatically shifting the pin rack on the raising and lowering of the frame, means carried by the frame for bringing the pins to vertical and spotting positions, and means swingingly connecting the last named means to the frame. r

7. A bowling alley pin setter comprising a vertically movable frame, means for guiding the frame into vertical movement, a pm rack slidable upon the frame for uprighting bowling pins laced therein, means for automatically shi ting the pin rack on the raising and lowering of the frame, means carried by the frame for bringing the pins to vertical and spotting positions, means swingingly connecting the last named meansto the frame, and means for movably supporting the frame.

8. A bowling alley pin setter comprising a vertically movable frame, means for guiding' the frame'into vertical movement, a pin rack slidable upon the frame for uprightlng bowling pins laced therein,- means for automatically shifting the pin rack on the raising and lowering, of the frame, means carried by the frame for bringing the pins to vertical and spotting positions, means swing-- ingly connecting the last named means to the frame, means for movably supporting 'the frame, and shoes carried by-the rackoperating means and engageable with the bedof a bowling alley.

9. In a bowling pin setter, combination 'a frame, complementary guiding and positioning means upon said rframe and alley, a horizontal slidable pin rack mounted upon said frame and containin pin receiving openings, said frame provi ed with pin positioning openings through which the pins fall by gravity when moved by said rack to the vertical position, and means for automatically operating said slidable pin rack when the frame is lowered into position above sa1d alley, sa1d means comprising vertically movable shoes, adapted to-rest uponthealley and means operatively connecting said shoes, frame and pin rack for giving a horizontal sliding movement to sa1d rack upon said frame when the weight of said frame is received upon said shoes. 10. In a bowlingalley pin setter, in combination with said alley, a frame vertically movable over said alley, guide means upon said frame and registering guide means in said alley, a horizontally slidable pin rack upon said frame, and means engaging said alley and operatively connecting said rack. and frame for giving a horizontal sliding.

movement to said rack.

11. In a bowling alley pin setter, in combination with said alley, a frame vertically movable over said alley, guide means upon said frame and registering guide 'means in said alley, a'horizontally slidable pin rack upon said frame, and means engaging said complementary socket members inserted in said alley, a pin rack upon said frame, vertically sliding alley engaging 'shoes in said frame, andv means operatively connecting said frame, shoes and pin rack, whereby said shoes will operate to give's'aid rack a horizontalsliding movement upon said frame,

. when said frame is lowered.

13. In a bowling alley pin setter, in combination with said alley, a frame vertically movable above said alley, and provided with pin depositing openings, vertical pins-projecting from the lower side of said frame, complementary socket members inserted in said'alley, a pin rack upon said frame, vertically sliding alley engaging shoes in said frame, and means operatively connecting said frame, shoes, said shoes will opera to give said rack a horizontal sliding movement upon said frame, when said frame is lowered, and vertical guides in which said shoes move.

14. In a bowling alley pin setter, in combination, a frame, a horizontally slidable pin rack thereon, horizontal guide means for said pin rack on said frame, said frame and rest upon said alley when the frame is lowered, link and lever mechanism operatively connectmg sa1d shoes frame and rack whered pin rack, whereby by when said frame is lowered said pin rack will move horizontally on said frame, the weight of said shoes causing the return of said rack to its normal position when the frame is raised.

15. In a pin setting device for a bowling alley, the combination with said alley, of a frame vertically movable thereon, said frame and rack having pin depositing 10 openings, :1 pin rack movable thereon, a positioning device for the frame comprising complementary registering guide means upon said frame and alley, and pin positioning means projecting from the lower side of said frame.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

WILL T. STATES. HERBERT F. LAPP. 

